Quiz: Howstuffworks

Do You Know These Basic Science Facts?

Monica Lee

Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

The discipline of "s﻿cience" incorporates so many things -- from biology to architecture to ecology and so much more. That's why you'll find this quiz extra entertaining. You may pick up some interesting tidbits as you test your smarts. For instance, discover that a double shot of espresso has LESS caffeine than brewed coffee! (Hint: It's all in the serving size.) Or that a certain crocodile's bite is 25 times more powerful than a human bite. Now you know which aquatic animal to steer clear of!

In this quiz, you'll answer questions on electronics, geology and the fauna and flora of nature. Although you won't need to know any one subject in great depth, you will need to have basic knowledge of topics including the stars, blood types, design styles and the chemical reaction powering the sun (fusion). Although you may have heard the phrase, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing," when it comes to quiz, it not dangerous at all. In fact, you'll do really well. Ready to see where you stand when it come to all-around know-how? Challenge your friends and see if you're the smartest one in the group. Take the quiz now and gain more admiration for the scientific world around you.

What is a geode?

A mammal

A plant

A fish

A rock

Geodes are formed when groundwater leaves minerals in its trail within the cavities in rock. These mineral deposits fill the cavity of rocks with quartz crystals from the outside edges in.

Which planet is closest to Earth?

Mars

Pluto

The Sun

Venus

Venus travels closer to the Earth than any other planet including Mars. Although "close to Earth" at a mere 23.7 million miles away, Venus has not been a destination for human habitation. Venus is inhospitable with the surface reaching 864 degrees Fahrenheit.

Which of these can a magnet attract?

Water

Rubber

Iron

Plastic

Ferromagnetic metals such as iron, nickel and cobalt are attracted to magnets. If you've ever found a paper clip still on your magnet, you'll note that the paper clip can become magnetized itself by being exposed to the magnet over a period of time.

In most cases, what is responsible for Earth's seismic and volcanic activity?

Hurricanes

Drilling for oil

Plate tectonics

Tornadoes

When tectonic plates slowly move (2 to 4 inches per year) they can converge, diverge or slip past one another at their boundaries. This movement in the Earth's rigid outer layer, known as the lithosphere, can cause much of the Earth’s seismic and volcanic activity.

What does an ant use its antennae for?

Detect chemicals

Detect air currents

Detect vibrations

All of the above

The antennae attached to the ant's head has many functions including detecting chemicals, air currents and vibrations, as well as transmitting and receiving information through touch.

What is the most common blood type?

O-positive

O-negative

A-positive

AB-negative

The most common blood type is O-positive, with 38 percent of the U.S. population with this type of blood. O-negative is only carried by seven percent of the population but is a universal donor.

Which of these animals is the fastest?

Grizzly bear

White rhinoceros

Fruit bat

Peregrine falcon

The peregrine falcon can reach speeds of up to 200 mph while at a dive to catch other birds. Most animals are at their fastest when they are catching prey or escaping a predator. The peregrine falcon is even faster than the cheetah, sailfish and gazelle.

How much of the human body is made of water?

up to 30%

up to 60%

up to 80%

up to 90%

The human body is composed of up to 60% water. However, it is distributed at different levels throughout the body due to bodily functions. For instance, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, while the bones are made of 31% water.

How are rice, Chinese water chestnuts and watercress similar?

They all are poisonous.

They all can be grown in water.

They are all eaten by deer.

They all can grow without sunlight.

Some plants can grow in either saltwater or freshwater without need for soil. Rice, Chinese water chestnuts and watercress are aquatic plants (also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes) that can grow in water alone and be harvested for human consumption.

What is tooth enamel made of?

Protein

Cartilage

Calcium phosphate

Metal

Enamel is one of the hardest biological materials. The mineral form of calcium phosphate covers the teeth. Plus, those pearly whites remain intact in the body after death. Even with ancient skeletons, many of the remains still have teeth intact.

Which of these is a basic component of electronics?

Capacitors

Ink

Nail polish

Coffee

Not just capacitors, but diodes and ohms play a role in basic electronics. The study of electronics involves the measurement of voltage, current (which is the flow of electrons) and resistance to complete a working "circuit."

What are the first five digits of Pi?

3.1499

3.1415

2.799

1.787

Pi (π) is used to represent a mathematical constant which is the circumference divided by the diameter of a circle. What makes Pi unique and attracts fans is that it's a quantity that will never be fully "known". It's an irrational number, meaning it's a real number that continues to expand in non-repeating decimals.

How do some plants survive living in the desert?

They grow long roots.

They blossom frequently.

They let their leaves evaporate water.

They let animals eat their leaves.

To find water, some desert plants, will grow amazingly long roots to reach deep below the sand and arid soil to pull up any available moisture. Some roots are up to 80 feet long!

How does a Styrofoam cup keep your coffee warm?

Styrofoam is an insulator.

Styrofoam is a converter.

Styrofoam is magnetic.

Styrofoam is electric.

The polystyrene foam, Styrofoam, is an insulator. It is made of trapped air bubbles which helps prevent heat loss, keeping your drink warm longer.

What is the name of the process that describes how the sun creates its energy?

Fission

Fusion

Fire

Photosynthesis

The sun's core is so hot that a process call nuclear fusion is able to occur. During this process, hydrogen atoms are converted into helium atoms. The by-product of nuclear fusion is a huge amount of energy that gets released into the solar system.

Where would you find mosquitoes during the day?

In the brush or thick weeds.

Caves or rock shelters

Hollow logs or holes in trees

All of the above

Although it seems mosquitoes are active whenever we show up, they are actually MOST active at night, or at dusk or dawn. They lay in wait for us in sheltered places, such as brush or thick weeds, caves or rock shelters, holes in the ground, hollow logs or holes in trees. However if you go hiking in those types of areas where there is a lot of brush or thick weeds during the day, the mosquitoes will be sure to find you.

What is the formula for calculating the area of a square base?

E = mc2

A = s2.

a2 + b2 = c2.

(xa)b = xab

If you look at a building that has a square base, you can calculate the area of the base just by knowing the length of one of its sides. The area of a square is equal to the length of one of its sides multiplied by itself, or squared. The formula is A = s2.

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos. Which mnemonic device is this?

Features of a living organism

Five Great Lakes

Order of mathematical operations

Order of the planets (excluding Pluto)

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos refers to the eight planets closest to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The first letter of each word in the mnemonic device can help you remember a lot of information with a simple phrase.

How do fungi reproduce?

Seeds

Spores

Pollen

Flowers

Spores are the result of either sexual or asexual reproduction, however, the majority of fungi reproduce asexually. Spores can grow into new organisms.

Which one of these land animals weighs the most?

African bush elephant

Hippopotamus

American bison

Giraffe

The African bush elephant can reach a weight of over 15,000 pounds and stand at over 13 feet tall. Fortunately for diminutive humans, elephants have a vegetarian diet and are generally harmless unless agitated.

What is a pandemic?

The worldwide spread of a new disease

When people panic uncontrollably

When an epidemic pans out or declines in its rate of infection

When an epidemic is spread through dirty cooking pans

The traditional definition of a pandemic is “an epidemic occurring worldwide.” An example of this is the pandemic influenza, A(H1N1), that occurred almost simultaneously in both hemispheres between April and September 2009.

Where does the human body store excess carbohydrates?

In the blood

In the bones

In the skin

In the muscle

Carbohydrates turn into glucose and are used immediately by the body. However, if there are extra carbohydrates, they are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen until needed. But there's always a catch -- if you eat more calories from carbs or other sources than your body can use, the cells store the excess as fat.

What are termite mounds made of?

Sand

Clay

Salivia

All of the above

Termite mounds can use sand, clay, soil, wood chips and other natural materials in their environment. The common ingredient in all mounds of different shapes and sizes is saliva. The structure is fastened with the saliva of termite workers.

What is the strongest shape in nature?

Circle

Square

Triangle

Hexagon

Add force to a triangle and that force won't tip over the structure. Instead, the force will be evenly spread throughout all three sides. Although it's nature's strongest shape, it is also the shape used for man-made construction for the exact same reasons.

Novel, poem and drama are all forms of what?

Literature

Movies

Theater

None of the above

The novel, poem, drama, short story and novella are forms of literature. Literature can be defined as any single body of written works. However, literature that is considered to be an art form usually deploys language in nontraditional ways or has artistic or intellectual value.

What are the functions of a leaf?

Maximize or minimize the surface area exposed to sunlight

Store food

Transport water

All of the above

The structure and shape of a plant's leaves can maximize or minimize the surface area exposed to sunlight. A leaf can also store food and water, which is why grazing animals eat the delicate leaves for fuel. Leaves also are key to the transportation of the food and water energy throughout the plant.

The study of wetlands is an example of what branch of science?

Physics

Chemistry

Ecology

Mathematics

The field of science that studies the relationship between people or organisms and their environment is called ecology. Studying the food chain, how pollution affects the population, or why temperature fluctuations affect the flora, are just a few examples of how important ecology is to our understanding of the world.

What is the difference between DNA and RNA?

DNA is a double-stranded and RNA is single-stranded.

DNA has a circular structure and RNA has a diamond structure.

DNA is constantly changing shape while RNA is stable.

DNA never replicates and RNA constantly replicates

DNA is usually double-stranded and most cellular RNA is single-stranded. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the self-replicating, genetic material in humans and almost all other organisms.

In a fruit salad, if the chef only makes it in this order: bananas, oranges, apples and cottage cheese, the chosen order is called a what?

Permutation

Combination

Binomial Distribution

Algebra problem

A permutation is the action of changing the arrangement, especially the linear order, of a set of items. If the chef added fruit willy nilly, it would be a combination. The number of permutations available on a set of elements is given by the number of possible arrangements.

What is a solar eclipse?

The moon is obscured by the sun.

The Earth is obscured by the sun.

The Earth is obscured by the moon.

The sun is obscured by the moon.

If you're on Earth looking up at the sun and the moon passes between you and the sun, a solar eclipse is occurring. The moon appears to obscure the sun. By blocking the sun's light, the moon casts a shadow that turns day into an eerie twilight here on Earth.

What is the population of New York City?

1.2 million

5.4 million

8.5 million

10 million

It's the largest city in the United States with an estimated 8.55 million people as certified by the 2016 census. It is interesting to note that over 37 percent of New York City residents were born in another country, a higher percentage than any other city in the world.

Which item has the most caffeine?

Orange juice

Tea

Drip coffee

Double espresso shot

This may feel like a trick question. That's because the serving size between espresso and drip coffee is quite different. There is simply more room for more caffeine in drip coffee! A single two-ounce double espresso shot has about 80 milligrams of caffeine. Whereas a 12-ounce brewed coffee has about 120 milligrams.

What animal has the most powerful bite?

Saltwater crocodile

Beaver

Grizzly bear

Snake

Compare a human bite at 160 pounds per inch (psi) to the bite force of a Nile crocodile measured at 3960 psi. Forget about being afraid of "lions, tigers and bears" when there are menacing saltwater crocodiles out there!

What is the name of the celestial object that pulses light?

Nova

Constellation

Pulsar

Galaxy

A pulsar is a rotating neutron star that pulses radiation at regular intervals along its magnetic poles. A nova does not have pulsing lights but will show a sudden and large increase in brightness, and then slowly returning to its original state over a few months.

Gothic, Art Deco and Victorian. What do these terms describe?

Types of architecture

Types of paint

Types of movies

Types of languages

These are all architectural styles. For instance, the Canterbury Cathedral and the Salisbury Cathedral are some of the finest examples of English Gothic architecture. Whereas the Chrysler Building in New York and The Delano in Miami sport gorgeous Art Deco architectural design. Two Victorian buildings that are famous for their style are the Palace of Westminster and the Balmoral Castle.

Sponsored Links

About HowStuffWorks Play

How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? And how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works. From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us!

Get smarter every day! Subscribe & get 1 quiz every week.

Playing quizzes is free! We send trivia questions and personality tests every week to your inbox. By
clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our
privacy policy and confirming that you are 13
years old or over.